Saturday, June 21, 2008
It's flooding down in Iowa
A coworker sent me this extensive slideshow of the University of Iowa's flooding. They had some warning that the river was going to jump its banks, so all the art was boxed up and moved to safer areas, and even the books on the bottom floors of the library were moved. Don't worry, Bloomington is still doing well. Most of the Indiana flooding has been to the north, where it rained more and it's much much flatter country.
sushi rolls!
Ian, Chris and I made sushi last night, technically "makizushi" which I think means sushi rolls, but who knows. I didn't pick up many transferable skills in Japan (for example, knowing how to say, "I would like a large draft beer," or "excuse me, where is this town's shinto shrine?" isn't very useful in America) but I would say that sushi is one of them.
I would print the directions here, but there are much better directions on the packet of roasted seaweed, along with diagrams. The brand we have here is Yamamoto Yama, although that's just written in very small print. It's a square-ish pack of dried seaweed, and it should have a picture of rolled sushi on the front. That's pretty much how I did all my shopping in Japan, by picture. It doesn't have directions for making sushi rice, so here's mine. This makes enough sushi for at least four hungry people, and for that amount I would get two packets of seaweed, 10 sheets each. You might not use it all, but better safe than sorry.
Cook 3 cups of sushi rice according to the directions on the box/bag. (it should be sushi rice, but I think I've used short grain rice before.)
Place the cooked rice in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, mix 4 Tbls rice vinegar, 2 Tbls sugar, and 1 tsp salt.
Sprinkle over rice as someone else stirs the rice with a study mixing spoon or spatula until it's mixed thoroughly.
Wait until the rice is cool before rolling sushi.
Last night, we made california rolls with fake crab, avocado, cream cheese (we used too much cream cheese), and cucumbers. I've also made it with egg, and I love that. (scramble an egg with a touch of sugar and soy sauce, cook initially as you would an omelet, but fold it over several times, then cut into good sized strips for the sushi). I haven't ever tried raw fish. I think I'd have to be very brave to do that. Julienned carrots are good. I've seen tempura green beans, pumpkin, or asparagus in sushi restaurants, which is the only type of tempura I've ever liked. I think anything would be good, as long as it would taste good with soy sauce.
Chris was brainstorming on his ideal sushi roll, which included bacon as the filling, replacing the rice with grated cheese, and doing away with the seaweed in favor of pepperoni. The soy sauce would not be used with this roll.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
I was typing up some surveys of high school kids today and it's rather heartening how many of them list their favorite books as things like the Great Gatsby and Their Eyes Were Watching God, things of that ilk. Harry Potter was definitely the most popular books listed, but it was nice that there was only one person who said her favorite book was The Adventures of Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen. Also notable was that favorite movies were not limited to stupid movies, but included really rather good movies like Vertigo.
The current hot topic here on Southdowns is "What Is Katie Going To Do With Her Life After We Move Next Summer," competing with perennial favorites such as "Harper Is Such A Good Dog" and "Does Harper Seem Lethargic To You?". (The answer to this one is almost always yes, but not abnormally.) I went to the library to get a book that will tell me what color my parachute is. I'm betting on periwinkle.
The current hot topic here on Southdowns is "What Is Katie Going To Do With Her Life After We Move Next Summer," competing with perennial favorites such as "Harper Is Such A Good Dog" and "Does Harper Seem Lethargic To You?". (The answer to this one is almost always yes, but not abnormally.) I went to the library to get a book that will tell me what color my parachute is. I'm betting on periwinkle.
Monday, June 16, 2008
I tried to read Orlando by Virginia Woolf, and I just couldn't wade through it. On to Moby Dick, which I'm reading with Bethie. It's a little easier to read, more funny, and has more colorful language. I think I'll like it, I like good naval stories. I just started, so they're still on land, but I enjoyed meeting Queequeg.
Made some swiss chard today (sauteed like spinach). I had to BUY some, even though I have one planted, because I'm discovering that one little chard plant doesn't grow enough for a serving. But, the purpose of this chard was more experimental, so that's ok. And, I've got some tomatoes coming in! I can't wait!
Happy Father's Day, Dave!
Happy Father's Day, Dave!
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Penne with Roasted Tomatoes and Garlic
3 large tomatoes, cut into wedges (about 2 lbs)
4 cloves garlic, unpeeled
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1(15 ounce) can cannellini beans
1/2 pound penne pasta
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Slice each tomato into 8 wedges and discard the seeds. Put the tomato wedges and garlic into a 9 by 13-inch roasting pan. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and a few turns of pepper. Roast in the oven, uncovered, for 40 minutes.
Drain the beans into a large colander in the sink. Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package. Drain the pasta into the colander containing the beans, so the hot pasta water will warm the beans. Return drained pasta and beans to the pasta pot.
When the tomatoes are done, pick out the garlic cloves, squeeze the garlic out of the skin into a small bowl and mash with a fork. Pour the roasted tomatoes into the pasta pot, add the garlic, the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, the basil and additional salt and pepper, to taste. Toss to combine. Serve topped with the Parmesan.
RESULTS: I'm definitely making this again, especially with tomato season just starting. The tomatoes got very sweet, like sun dried tomatoes, and it was really great with the basil. The garlic was very mild. Next time, I might try roasting the tomatoes with artichoke hearts, too, to see what happens.
When I pulled the tomatoes out of the oven, the roasting pan was a mess. A lot of the tomatoes had carmelized to the bottom of the pan. The pasta and beans were looking a little dry, (I didn't use enough tomatoes) so I thought I'd just deglazed the roasting pan with water and use that to moisten the pasta. That was ok, but I think even better would have been to use a little dollop of tomato paste along with the water, or maybe save some of the pasta water and use that. I just think I can definitely do better for sauce than just water.
4 cloves garlic, unpeeled
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1(15 ounce) can cannellini beans
1/2 pound penne pasta
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Slice each tomato into 8 wedges and discard the seeds. Put the tomato wedges and garlic into a 9 by 13-inch roasting pan. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and a few turns of pepper. Roast in the oven, uncovered, for 40 minutes.
Drain the beans into a large colander in the sink. Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package. Drain the pasta into the colander containing the beans, so the hot pasta water will warm the beans. Return drained pasta and beans to the pasta pot.
When the tomatoes are done, pick out the garlic cloves, squeeze the garlic out of the skin into a small bowl and mash with a fork. Pour the roasted tomatoes into the pasta pot, add the garlic, the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, the basil and additional salt and pepper, to taste. Toss to combine. Serve topped with the Parmesan.
RESULTS: I'm definitely making this again, especially with tomato season just starting. The tomatoes got very sweet, like sun dried tomatoes, and it was really great with the basil. The garlic was very mild. Next time, I might try roasting the tomatoes with artichoke hearts, too, to see what happens.
When I pulled the tomatoes out of the oven, the roasting pan was a mess. A lot of the tomatoes had carmelized to the bottom of the pan. The pasta and beans were looking a little dry, (I didn't use enough tomatoes) so I thought I'd just deglazed the roasting pan with water and use that to moisten the pasta. That was ok, but I think even better would have been to use a little dollop of tomato paste along with the water, or maybe save some of the pasta water and use that. I just think I can definitely do better for sauce than just water.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Barleywine Bonbons
1 can (14 ounces) condensed milk
2/3 cup barleywine (room temperature)
1/4 cup 22 percent plain cocoa
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, very finely chopped, divided
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Covering: Melted white couverture or dark chocolate couverture (about 2 pounds) Chopped macadamia nuts (or other nut)
Mix condensed milk, cocoa and barleywine until smooth. You should have 2 cups of liquid. Pour through a strainer into a heavy saucepan and heat to just a simmer. Chop 8 ounces of the chocolate very fine and place in heavy nonreactive bowl. Set aside remaining 4 ounces chopped chocolate for later use. When the barleywine mixture just bubbles and is hot, pour steaming blend into the 8 ounces chopped chocolate and stir slowly with a spatula, until the chocolate melts. Melt the unsalted butter in the same saucepan, and then when it is almost bubbling, remove from heat and stir in the remaining 4 ounces chopped chocolate. Stir until chocolate melts and then slowly stir the melted butter mixture into the barleywine base. Stir slowly, so air pockets and bubbles do not form. When smooth and glossy, pour the ganache into a 9x9x2 glass pan, and let cool. When cooled, cover and chill 1 to 2 days.
Form centers by cutting ganache into squares and place on parchment-lined pan. To make bonbons, choose an assortment of coverings. Roll or dip each piece of ganache in the desired covering, and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Chill uncovered 6 hours, then pack into candy cups and place in a sealed container. Keeps refrigerated for up to 3 weeks. Yields about 3 dozen bonbons.
RESULTS: At first, the condensed milk was literally at war with the barley wine. The two flavors were completely incompatible. That mellowed after all that time in the fridge, which is why, I think, you have to do that, because it certainly didn't harden the chocolate. I expected to get something akin to the rolled truffles, but after two days in the fridge and another in the freezer and I was still looking at GOOP, I figured that wasn't going to work. I ended up tempering some bittersweet chocolate (gently microwave 3/4 of the chocolate until melted, then mixing in the last 1/4 until that's melted too), using that as a shell in chocolate molds and then using the barleywine chocolate as the filling. I also added some teeny tiny hazelnuts. Got good reviews! Barleywine is generally always higher in alcohol than most beers, but it could be that if I had found one abnormally low, it might have hardened enough to cut. I do not know.
2/3 cup barleywine (room temperature)
1/4 cup 22 percent plain cocoa
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, very finely chopped, divided
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Covering: Melted white couverture or dark chocolate couverture (about 2 pounds) Chopped macadamia nuts (or other nut)
Mix condensed milk, cocoa and barleywine until smooth. You should have 2 cups of liquid. Pour through a strainer into a heavy saucepan and heat to just a simmer. Chop 8 ounces of the chocolate very fine and place in heavy nonreactive bowl. Set aside remaining 4 ounces chopped chocolate for later use. When the barleywine mixture just bubbles and is hot, pour steaming blend into the 8 ounces chopped chocolate and stir slowly with a spatula, until the chocolate melts. Melt the unsalted butter in the same saucepan, and then when it is almost bubbling, remove from heat and stir in the remaining 4 ounces chopped chocolate. Stir until chocolate melts and then slowly stir the melted butter mixture into the barleywine base. Stir slowly, so air pockets and bubbles do not form. When smooth and glossy, pour the ganache into a 9x9x2 glass pan, and let cool. When cooled, cover and chill 1 to 2 days.
Form centers by cutting ganache into squares and place on parchment-lined pan. To make bonbons, choose an assortment of coverings. Roll or dip each piece of ganache in the desired covering, and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Chill uncovered 6 hours, then pack into candy cups and place in a sealed container. Keeps refrigerated for up to 3 weeks. Yields about 3 dozen bonbons.
RESULTS: At first, the condensed milk was literally at war with the barley wine. The two flavors were completely incompatible. That mellowed after all that time in the fridge, which is why, I think, you have to do that, because it certainly didn't harden the chocolate. I expected to get something akin to the rolled truffles, but after two days in the fridge and another in the freezer and I was still looking at GOOP, I figured that wasn't going to work. I ended up tempering some bittersweet chocolate (gently microwave 3/4 of the chocolate until melted, then mixing in the last 1/4 until that's melted too), using that as a shell in chocolate molds and then using the barleywine chocolate as the filling. I also added some teeny tiny hazelnuts. Got good reviews! Barleywine is generally always higher in alcohol than most beers, but it could be that if I had found one abnormally low, it might have hardened enough to cut. I do not know.
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